We decided to do the next stretch before Storm Callum arrives, so yesterday we drove down to Freshwater East, walked a mile back to the main road and caught the bus to Penally. It was sunny but with a very blustery wind from the south-east, and hazy too so no distant views – and I’m pleasantly surprised that there were a few reasonable photos.
This stretch of the path was completely new to me, and we were so fortunate to be walking at low tide as there are several stunning beaches, mostly difficult to access though. The first, Lydstep, was rather marred by densely-packed caravans and must be really busy in the summer. It was slightly damp underfoot and a combination of slippery rocks, mud and leaves made the going treacherous at times. Beyond that, Skrinkle Haven, then behind the Manorbier firing range to Presipe Bay. 
Then the path contoured along a relatively gently sloping cliff to Manorbier, where we ate our sandwiches on the beach, though we were a few welsh cakes short of a proper picnic. Readers of a certain age may recognise the castle as Cair Paravel in the BBC Narnia adaptation. After this, the path roller-coastered along, past Swanlake Bay with a solitary swimmer and finally down to Freshwater East. We followed the path through the sand dunes, where a few burnet roses were flowering, then looped back onto the beach with the wind now in our faces and up a very steep wooded path to the car. 8.6 miles of coast path. I wonder how many more sunny opportunities we’ll have?
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